Saturday, September 14, 2013

Marvel's December previews reviewed

Marvel Comics Entertainment (Sorry, old habits die hard) will publish a whole bunch of comic books in December. Many of them will have awesome covers. Many more will have bizarre "numbering" combining strings of numbers, decimal points and letters, like some form a code (Expect DC to use this same numbering scheme in the next year or so). At least one might end up being the most hilarious thing Marvel has ever published. At least since every third page of Civil War, anyway (see below). To read the their full solicitations, you can go here. Otherwise, read on.

Well it's only funny/weird if it's the time-lost, teenage Scott "Cyclops" Summers. ALL-NEW X-MEN/INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK/SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN: THE ARMS OF THE OCTOPUS TPBWritten by MICHAEL COSTA & CHRIS COSENTINOPenciled by KRIS ANKA & DALIBOR TALAJICCover by ALEXANDER LOZANOThe All-New X-Men meet the Indestructible Hulk and the Superior Spider-Man! Dr. Octopus confronts the time-displaced young X-Men, but how is he alive?! Ock’s appearance gets the immediate attention of the Superior Spider-Man (who we all know is Doc Ock’s mind in Spider-Man’s body), and Bruce Banner helps Spidey and the young X-Men investigate the mysterious paradox — but before they learn the truth, they’re shocked by the return of the believed-dead Abomination! Who is in league with these returned villains, and how can our heroes defeat them? And can the Superior Spider-Man maintain his sanity while facing his doppelganger? Plus: Steel kitchen knives meet Adamantium claws as reality-TV star Chris Cosentino spins a culinary caper featuring Wolverine! Collecting ALL-NEW X-MEN SPECIAL #1, SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP SPECIAL #1, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK SPECIAL #1 and WOLVERINE: IN THE FLESH #1.120 PGS./Rated T+ …$14.99

I don't get or like this at all, and the decimal points seem like cheating to me.

Here's a credit I don't see nearly often enough: "Cover by TOM SCIOLI."

INHUMANITY #1MATT FRACTION (W)
OLIVIER COIPEL (A/C)
• After INFINITY, the Marvel Universe has changed.
• The Avengers find themselves face to face with Karnak who has discovered the secret of the Inhumans that will shake the Marvel U to its core.
40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T …$3.99

Karnak's the kicking guy, kicking through that cover, right? He's a pretty good example of a character who looks fine when Jack Kirby draws him, but looks a little off when just about anyone else attempts to draw him.

Anyway, after years spent building up the Avengers, and a recent return of attention to the X-Men franchise, is Marvel casting about for other potential franchises among all their super-team IP? Or are the Inhumans merely looked at as the next potential Guardians of the Galaxy?

Ooh, I wonder who will be next? Will it be The Defenders? I hope it's The Defenders. Oh wait, Marvel just tried a Defenders revival, written by Matt Fraction, and even that didn't work, so I suppose a new Defenders title is out of the question. We're probably more likely to see a new Invaders book before we see a new Defenders book...

Avengers Annual #1
KATHRYN IMMONEN (W) • DAVID LAFUENTE (A/C)
• It’s Christmas Eve in Avengers Tower. Everybody’s got somewhere better to be and Cap’s all alone on Tower-sitting duty. Or is he?
• Outside all is calm, all is quiet, but inside it’s an avalanche of mayhem as an intruder turns the Avengers’ own tower against them!
• And introducing Zamira! She’s Meryl Streep with a vengeance! Or maybe just a hormonal teenager...WITH OUT OF CONTROL SUPER POWERS!
40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T+…$4.99

Er, are those superheroes supposed to be pulling the sleigh...? Because while I get the sense of motion and direction, I don't really get a sense of how they're attached to it or how it's working exactly.

I like the idea of Christmas specials in general, and that's a great creative team, but the main reason I would want to check this out is to figure out what exactly a character who is "Meryl Streep with a vengeance...or maybe just a hormonal teenager" means, exactly. Those two things don't sound very much like one another. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #22.INH
KELLY SUE DECONNICK & WARREN ELLIS (W)
MATTEO BUFFAGNI (A)
Cover by JORGE MOLINA
INHUMANITY TIE-IN
• Spider-Woman and the Hulk -- Team Sad! -- are Back in Black… and red. And yellow. And purple and green. A lot of green.
• Speaking of green… Spider-Girl follows in the footsteps of her investigative reporter Dad and follows the money.
• The Toxic Doxie has her very own Inhuman… All that a homicidal maniac could ask for.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I kind of like the fact that I don't understand any of the words in this after the word "Hulk," but it still sounds pretty exciting. Note the name of DeConnick's co-writer, too. That's...unexpected.

Here's a good example of the weird numbering many of the books apparently having something to do with the Inhumans this month have in place of, you know, numbers. Looks like a measurement of some industrial tool, or something on an invoice, maybe.CATACLYSM: ULTIMATES #2 (of 3)
JOSH HALE FIALKOV (W) • CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO (A)
Cover by MUKESH SINGH
• HULK ORGANISM DESIGNED ONLY FOR KILLING VS. HERCULES!
• MODOK PREPARES THE WORLD FOR THE END.
• REED RICHARDS’ city is the key to GALACTUS’S FINAL SOLUTION.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Hey, I didn't know there was an Ultimate Hercules...!

FF #15
MATT FRACTION & LEE ALLRED (W) • MICHAEL ALLRED (A/C)
• Invasion Latveria: the Video Game!
• Four stand-in replacement heroes and a dozen kids versus Dr. Doom, now transformed into the ultimate power in the universe: Doom the Annihilating Conqueror! What a time to run out of quarters!
• Game over, man! Game over!
32 PGS./Rated T …$2.99

Glad to see Maguire getting such a high-profile gig so soon after the mess with Justice League 3000. Probably more money and cred working with Bendis at Marvel at the moment, anyway. And hey, given how many comics Benids writes, it shouldn't be too hard for Marvel and Bendis to find one to keep Maguire on.

I hope they mean the birth of the new Ronin in a metaphorical sense, otherwise it's gonna be years before he or she is ready to put on a costume and start fighting crime with the rest of these guys.

THE MUPPETS OMNIBUS HCWritten by ROGER LANGRIDGEPenciled by ROGER LANGRIDGE, SHELLI PAROLINE & AMY MEBBERSONCovers by ROGER LANGRIDGE & PHIL NOTOIt’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights! It’s time to turn the pages of this Omnibus tonight! The Muppets take Marvel in this zany collection of Roger Langridge’s award-winning, gag-filled adventures of Kermit and the gang. From Bunsen and Beaker to Piiiigs In Spaaaace, all your favorites are here in a volume as hilarious as it is compendious — one even Statler and Waldorf wouldn’t hate! It’s time to get things started with the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational book of all! Collecting THE MUPPET SHOW (2009) #1-4, THE MUPPET SHOW COMIC BOOK: THE TREASURE OF PEG-LEG WILSON #1-4, THE MUPPET SHOW COMIC BOOK #0-11 and THE MUPPETS (2012) #1-4.1296 PGS./All Ages …$49.99ISBN: 978-0-7851-8792-9Trim size: oversizedTHE MUPPETS OMNIBUS HC NOTO COVER (DM ONLY)1296 PGS./All Ages …$49.99ISBN: 978-0-7851-8793-6

When Disney first bought Marvel, I started worrying about Boom's Langridge-written (and often Langridge-drawn) Muppets comics, and when I learned Boom was losing the license, I bought all these collections from an online retailer while I still could, for fear of how Marvel might package collections.

I'm glad I did. I probably spent more than $50 on them, and this may actually be a great value, but I don't know, $50 just seems like a lot of money to spend on a single book of Muppets comics, no matter how thick that book is.

These are all excellent comics, and while the art is strong on all of 'em, I think Langridge's best comics are the ones he draws as well as writes. The cover above is the Phil Noto one, which I think may be new, but I'm not positive (there were variants on many of these Muppets comics, naturally).

I do wonder why Marvel doesn't seem to be doing anything with their Disney-related licenses, other than reprinting stuff other publishers commissioned and created.

THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #7
Nick Spencer (W) • Steve Lieber (A)
Cover by In-Hyuk-Lee
• The Sleeper hit of the year continues!
• Can’t do the time? Speed Demon shouldn’t have done the crime.
• Spencer, Lieber, Rosenberg, Caramagna, and a group of Foes on the brink!
32 PGS./Rated T…$2.99

Hey, is this an ongoing or a miniseries? Because a seventh issue seems a little long for a miniseries, which I assumed this was going to be.

That's not a very good cover for this series, compared to some of the ones we've seen so far.

I like the over of Thunderbolts #19 too. Good job, Julian Totino Tedesco! I think it's Red Hulk's hat that makes it. ULTIMATES 3: WHO KILLED THE SCARLET WITCH? TPB (NEW PRINTING)Written by JEPH LOEBPenciled by JOE MADUREIRACover by JOE MADUREIRAWhen the Scarlet Witch is shot down in broad daylight, everyone is a suspect! What secret is exposed that ruins Iron Man? Who is hiding behind The Black Panther’s mask? Can the murderer be Hawkeye The Marksman? It’s a race against time as The Ultimates — Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Captain America and Thor — face off against Venom, Magneto and Sabretooth! This action-packed murder mystery also features The Hulk, Spider-Man and Wolverine as well as the first appearance of the Black Panther. Written by Emmy and Eisner-winner Jeph Loeb (TV’s HEROES and LOST) with artwork featuring the trimphant return of JOE MADUREIRA (THE UNCANNY X-MEN) with glorious color painting by CHRISTIAN LICHTNER (BATTLE CHASERS).128 PGS./Parental Advisory …$19.99

Hey, has anyone ever done this exact cover design before? I'm sure there have been plenty of variations of heroes about to punch or shoot reader in face, but have there ever been any where the hero is grabbing the "reader" by the shirt like that? It seems like that's a pretty obvious idea, but I can't recall ever seeing it.

My main concern with the all the Amazing Spider-Man 700s is to figure out which one van Meter and Rios' Spider-Man and Black Cat story is in. It's either 700.3 or 700.4 (unless it's split between them) but I can't figure out which, exactly. This is not helpful, Marvel.

Superior Foes was always advertised as ongoing. Hope it is, it's way too much fun.

Thanks, Bram; that would certainly be great news if it is a monthly.

I guess I just assumed it was a miniseries given that the plotting so far seems to be limited in nature--like, the things going on have got to all come to a head soon-ish--and because of "Superior Spider-Man" is itself a temporary thing, kind of like if this were called "The Enemies of Electric Blue Superman" or something.

About Me

J. Caleb Mozzocco is a freelance writer and (extremely) amateur(-ish) artist who lives and works in Ohio.
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